Due to its 1960s-influenced sound, reminiscent of the British Invasion era, in contrast to many other alternative acts of the early 1990s, the album attracted substantial critical attention.

The La's was the subject of significant attention due to its unusual sound, which American music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine describes as "the most beguiling" of albums that exists "outside of time or place, gently floating on their own style and sensibility", further adding that the album having a 1960s-esque sound without being "fussily retro" served as a precursor to the Britpop movement of the mid-1990s.

[2] The album's sound has been compared favourably with fellow Liverpool band the Beatles especially, as well as with other 1960s British bands such as the Kinks; Pitchfork wrote in 2017 that "the songs are pure Beatles melodicism [...] mixed with Kinks guitar riffs", whilst BBC Culture stated in 2021 that the album, drawing on the influence of the Beatles, Love, Pink Floyd and the Who, was at odds with prevailing scenes of 1990 such as Madchester, shoegaze and the then-upcoming grunge with its "acoustic melodies, 1960s sensibility and pure melodicism".

However, due to Mavers' exacting expectations, the sound eluded each of the producers, and the album eventually released was immediately disowned by the band.

[18] The album's songs have been covered by many later acts, including Pearl Jam, Sixpence None the Richer and Robbie Williams.